FDA Clears Bionic Pancreas Developed in BU Lab for People with Type 1 Diabetes
A bionic pancreas—a wearable, pocket-sized, automated insulin delivery device—that was first developed in a Boston University lab has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The iLet Bionic Pancreas is now commercially available, bringing fresh hope to the almost two million Americans with type 1 diabetes.
Robert A. Brown Reflects on 18 Years as BU President
“When I came to Boston University in 2005, I joined a university in turmoil caused by a failed presidential search that exposed weak leadership and broken governance. A university with a dedicated and talented faculty and staff, and an aspiring and engaged student body—but with little thought about, or unity around, the prospects for the future. From this beginning, we have developed a vision of Boston University as a wonderfully interconnected private research university committed to inclusive excellence, but grounded in a gritty pragmatism that faces head on what is needed to make this vision a reality,” says President Brown.
Inaugural Class of BU Computing & Data Sciences Majors
The Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences graduated its first class of undergraduates. There are 190 students enrolled in CDS’ undergrad degree program and 10 in the CDS PhD program. The new MS in Data Science program is accepting applications for fall 2023. Associate Provost for Computing & Data Sciences Azer Bestavros said he expects 60 to 70 students to receive their BS in the next academic year, with an average of 120 to 150 in subsequent years.
Ji-Xin Cheng Named BU’s Innovator of the Year
Moustakas Chair Professor in Photonics and Optoelectronics Ji-Xin has been named the 2022 Boston University Innovator of the Year. The College of Engineering professor of biomedical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and materials science and engineering has a long list of trailblazing achievements, including inventing a way to use blue light and hydrogen peroxide to treat a drug-resistant skin infection called MRSA, finding molecular signatures associated with aggressive cancers for treatment and diagnosis, and creating novel imaging techniques using infrared light to see molecules inside living cells.
Wheelock’s Grace Kim Named Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year
Grace Kim was awarded the 2023 Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year Award. The award recognizes scholars who excel as teachers inside and outside the classroom and who contribute to the art and science of teaching and learning. The award recognizes Kim for helping her students create meaningful connections by “making psychology, itself, more relevant for a dynamic, racially diverse society.”
CAS’ Renato Mancuso Wins Gitner Family Award
Renato Mancuso was awarded the Gerald and Deanne Gitner Family Award for Innovation in Teaching with Technology. Mancuso received the award for designing a system that enables students to submit their coding assignments via a web-based interface and then view how their submission performs and compares to classmates’ work.
Wheelock’s Melissa Holt to Lead Kilachand Honors College
Melissa Holt is associate professor of counseling psychology and associate dean for faculty affairs at Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her three-year term as Kilachand’s leader begins July 1, 2023. Holt, Kilachand’s third director, succeeds two-term director Carrie Preston, professor of English and women’s, gender, & sexuality studies at the College of Arts & Sciences and a professor at Kilachand.
Tara Watchorn (Sargent’12) Named Head Coach for Women’s Ice Hockey
Former Terrier star defender and Olympic gold medalist Tara Watchorn (Sargent’12) has been named the new head coach of the BU women’s ice hockey program. Watchorn replaces her former coach, Brian Durocher (Wheelock’78), who retired in February after heading the program since its inception in 2004.
2023 BU Giving Day Raises More Than $3.8 Million
Boston University’s ninth Giving Day brought in more than $3.8 million from more than 12,000 donors, supporting more than 450 causes across campus. Gifts came from all 50 states, and from 48 countries.
New Council Will Give BU Staff More Voice in Policy, Decisions
President Robert A. Brown has approved the formation of a new group called the Staff Advisory Council, with the purpose of giving a united voice to the University’s 6,300 staff members who want to make sure they are being heard by administrators as much as students and faculty when it comes to major decisions being made by BU leadership. The council will be made up of 30 members, elected to three-year terms. All of them will be staff level or first-line supervisors—no high-level positions, vice presidents, or senior leaders will serve.
